Newey intrigued by Extreme E's hydrogen fuel cell system

Legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey believes hydrogen could be considered as a viable race fuel for Formula 1 in the future, having witnessed firsthand how Extreme E is using the technology in its all-electric off-road series.

Last month, after the end of the Formula 1 season, Newey visited Extreme E's Jurassic X Prix season finale in Dorset.

The Red Bull engineer is part of the Veloce Extreme E team's management, the Briton having been drawn to the series which he sees as an interesting platform for developing new technology, while also drawing attention the planet's environmental challenges.

"It's very interesting to look around," said Newey upon his first visit to the series last month in Dorset. "I have been involved from a distance and seeing what's been going on.

"So to finally witness it here is good, to see how it all works. The cars are impressive, bigger than you realise when you see them on TV.

"It's well set up so I think, for the first season, all the teams and the organisers have done an amazing job."

But Newey was particularly intrigued by the sustainable solution adopted by Extreme E for charging its race fleet on site.

The series relies on a hydrogen fuel cell generator to power its vehicles at all its off-grid locations, whether in the desert in Saudi Arabia or in the harsh conditions of Greenland in the Arctic.

Newey believes Extreme E could extend the use of hydrogen in the future and exploit the element as a direct source of power for its cars.

• Read also: Rosberg X Racing clinches maiden Extreme E title

"I think it would be extremely interesting if Extreme E opened up to allowing hydrogen as well as battery electric," the Briton said last month in Dorset, quoted by RacingNews365.

"Obviously the problem will then be making sure that one technology isn't clearly faster than the other, so balancing them out, but it would be a good way of promoting hydrogen as an alternative to battery.

"After all, that is what the series is about – showcasing new technologies and solutions that can help problems."

As part of Formula 1's quest for sustainability, the sport will switch to E10 fuel this season and expects to run its next-generation power units on fully synthetic fuels.

But Newey believes motorsport should keep an open mind regarding its future source of power.

"I think I'm an advocate for not being single-minded," he explained.

"You shouldn’t commit to one thing. Electric clearly has a place in the future in certain applications, but so does hydrogen, as do synthetic fuels.

"That’s the important thing: that people don’t look at the climate problems and think there is only one solution. It won’t be like that.”

"It's a very complex problem that will need to be addressed in all sorts of different ways."

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